How long it took you to fly with your loved ones?

A week I think. Pick a nice day, blue sky, no turbulence, little wind. Just do a simple sight seeing.

DO NOT demonstrate stalls, slow flight, engine out, go around, or other "hey lookie here" antics LOL! :)
 
Took my wife up the day after. I don’t know how people do that the same day as the checkride. I was mentally wiped and just wanted to chill with a cold one after.
 
No clue. Lost my original logbook.

The whole family was with me when the engine ate a valve once and flew with me many times after that somewhat exciting emergency. Sill do only now it’s kids and grandkids.

Cheers
 
My late buddy was my first passenger, maybe within 2-3 weeks of me getting my certificate.

My wife didn’t go for her first flight until a month or so later. She still doesn’t fly with me much unless I take her somewhere other than sightseeing.

It took me a long time to really feel comfortable with a passenger, like a year or so and 150 hours?

I fly solo with my dog 99% of the time. I fly a lot after work, about 250 a year and 1100 since 2016 when I got my PPL. I am just now feeling ready for passengers!! lol
 
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I got my commercial and I still haven’t brought up any non-pilots. Maybe after CFI.
 
I got home from passing my checkride at 10pm. Everyone told me to pick a clear, calm day and fly an easy ten minute flight.

Nope, next morning loaded up my wife and son and flew 3+ hours to Orlando for Disney. I was confident but very, very attentive. Like many said, you might be the safest after all the prep it took to pass.
 
One of the (many) wise things my instructor/mentor/friend told me when I was a brand new CFI; "Don't ever sign off a PPL student for the checkride unless you would be comfortable letting your wife and kids go for a ride with that pilot." I've followed that criteria throughout my CFI 'career'. Granted, I don't have a wife and kids myself, and, of course, as CFI, I have no control over a student's maintenance of their ability after the checkride, nor do I have control over their personal comfort level, but a very serious and realistic expectation nevertheless.
 
Jim Carpenter said:
One of the (many) wise things my instructor/mentor/friend told me when I was a brand new CFI; "Don't ever sign off a PPL student for the checkride unless you would be comfortable letting your wife and kids go for a ride with that pilot." I've followed that criteria throughout my CFI 'career'. Granted, I don't have a wife and kids myself, and, of course, as CFI, I have no control over a student's maintenance of their ability after the checkride, nor do I have control over their personal comfort level, but a very serious and realistic expectation nevertheless.
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I think that's a great approach. When I wasn't sure I was ready to take my checkride, my instructor said "you're fine, I'd send my mom up with you any day." It didn't occur to me that he probably put some similar thought into it. My concern wasn't safety, though it was "can I actually do steep turns without rollout out 10 degrees wrong?"

I took the girlfriend up a couple of months after my private checkride. Not for any particular reason, except that I wanted some private time just flying, after spending so much time practicing maneuvers and such.
 
My mom and sister were at the airport when I got back from my checkride and I took them both up. In 22 years, my wife has never flown with me. So it varies....
 
My situation was a little different. I had about 300 hours and an IR. It was only my second trip into ATL (Hartsfield) back when GA could use it more. My parents were due to arrive on a flight from England at 3 pm, this was about 1980.
The flight was delayed and delayed, I changed my IFR flight plan a dozen times, this was before cell phones and internet. Delta kindly allowed me to use their pilot facilities including food. The flight eventually arrive at 4 am and we were soon on our way. I well always remember the taxi as I was lined up behind a L1011 (flying B24 Sierra) Was not sure how far behind him I should stay, when he started to move I would be half throttle. I stayed way behind.

As we were heading for the runway with many delays I was staying well out of the way of the L1011, behind me was a 747 who of course I could not see. After the L1011 moved forwards I would just sit there for a while for things to settle down. As I was sitting there the whole taxiway lit up like a ball field, scared the hell out of me. It was like daylight, The 747 had flashed his lights at me. I held this rude action against those pilots for almost twenty years until one day reading I realized that they were just going through the check list and testing the landing lights..

I was cleared for departure with instructions to make a left turn and join Victor 97, before I reached 1000' I was instructed to make an IMMEDIATE left turn, I never did see the 747. A beautiful trip home on a moonlit night, arrived at ABY and landed as the sun was coming up.

Life is a barrel of fun.

Ken
 
Hector Parra said:
Hi guys. Even if a PPL will legally allow you to carry passengers right after you get it, how long it took you to feel confident enough to bring your loved ones on board? Did you established a number of total hours or any other particular achievements while flying solo in order to take the decision?
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landed back at home airport after the check ride and took my toddler sons up!
 
I got my license in a 152. The next day I took my sister up in a 172. The day after that my dad and I went out over the ocean in a Tomahawk. My dad had not flown in 30 years and he had a blast. He still talks about it and it’s been nearly 40 years since I got my private license. Wonderful memories
 
While I was learning I had my CFI take my spouse up in our airplane. She really liked it.
 
I made the mistake of having my son in the backseat during my first IFR instructional flight. Despite it being so early in my training, my CFII had a near zero tolerance for heading and altitude deviations. I was constantly making abrupt corrections playing havoc on my son's stomach. ATC had us 2K AGL on base to fly a visual approach so I had to slip it hard on final to get down. The slip was the last straw for my son's stomach. I couldn't get him a barf bag in time but he creatively used his sweatshirt so there was near zero mess :eek:
 
Half Fast said:
closed her eyes in flight, but then I heard the sobbing...
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I laughed out loud at this as I read it to my wife! Hilarious to both of us.

My wife flew about a week after my checkride (weather delays) but was so uncomfortable that I cut our scenic tour short.

Months later reading on this forum somewhere I saw where someone suggested wife get lessons to feel comfortable so I asked my wife and she immediately said yes, I was surprised. Asked again about a week later and she said yes again that it would make her feel better if something were to happen to me. I called the flight school and they were surprised, saying that never been asked about that before. We found an instructor who she was comfortable with and is not trying to build hours - he just loves being a CFI and she has taken a couple of lessons and feels better. She studies at home on my ground school materials and asks questions and is feeling more comfortable with my "hobby". No plans to get her ticket, just to get comfortable with what is going on in the cockpit.

She flew with me last week and was much better - not happy, but better.

I've wanted to share about the lessons for a few days but could not find who made the suggestion.

I take someone with me on every flight since PPL just to share the experience and they have all loved it! A couple of guys have asked when I'm flying again. I go every 3-4 weeks and track for night flight currency.
 
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WDD said:
Pick a nice day, blue sky, no turbulence, little wind. Just do a simple sight seeing.

DO NOT demonstrate stalls, slow flight, engine out, go around, or other "hey lookie here" antics LOL! :)
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Exactly! My Dad took Mom on her first flight in a small plane in an Ercoupe in 1965 and did just that "hey look at that". Mom puked on the rolllout on landing. Flash forward to last year for her 2nd flight with her at age 83 with me in the Archer. "Gee that was fun". Smooth air and no real turns. If I could have gotten her to shut up while I shot an actual approach that would have been good

I took my wife flying the week after the PPL. Cancelled once for wx.
 
Took my wife up the next day after my checkride. Took a couple of my kids up that weekend. I felt ready. You're only 1/2 way through your PPL. I didn't feel "ready" at that point either. Have you done any XC solos? Plan one of your XC solos to a Delta, talk to tower, land, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the accomplishment. Do a couple/few of those and you'll get over "that hump". Check back when you're about ready for the checkride. After you're through it all, you'll be more ready. Just make sure you're trying to fly every week after you get your PPL, keep learning and progressing! I make every effort to fly every week but seems like I'm averaging somewhere between 1-2 weeks between flights. I just had my PPL checkride last July. This month I'm hoping for my instrument checkride.
 
My wife wouldn't fly with me until we had our wills written and signed. That took a couple of weeks.
 
I took my folks and friends up shortly after my checkride. I was only 17 then, but even looking back I don't think it was a mistake - like others said right after the checkride is probably as safe a time as any.
 
Funny, no one ever claimed to love me until after I started flying... then they came out of the woodwork....
 
Hector Parra said:
Hi Dan. No I'm not at this moment. I'm halfway through my PPL so still not proficient, nor legally allowed to do it. But I wanted to hear the thoughts of more experienced pilots first :)
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They want to know you're ready too. They want to know you're extra careful, that you planned your engine out after rotation BEFORE it happens, and that you're looking for suitable engine out locations in cruise (that you don't magenta line it over hostile territory). Some passengers do well if you verbalize everything (some are worry warts and fall apart if you do this ... you have to figure it out).
 
Well, I got my PPL in 1981 at the age of 18. My first "passenger" was my dad. He is where I got my love of airplanes from (and quite frankly my love of anything that has an engine).

My dad still loves to fly with me (He is 82 now).

My wife met me in college and we got married right after college. She refused to get in any of my airplanes with me over the years. Fast forward 35 years later and after four kids graduated college, started families, and moved far away (300 - 1500 miles) I reminded her that we could go see the grandkids (we have three) more often and quicker in my airplane.

Grandkids is what got her flying with me after 35 years.

I can honestly say that she is a great passenger - she literally will fly under any conditions that I feel safe to fly into, including some weather and turbulence at times. She was born to do it - it just took her awhile to realize it.
 
Within a week I took my wife for a discovery flight. She made it through. Scratch one victim for me.
 
Passed my PPL in 1993 at 19 years old.

My mom is 77 and has flown with me . . . Never.

I think my dad flew with me the next weekend or something.
 
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